Civil Liberties and Security in Cyberspace - Hoover Institution
Civil Liberties and Security in Cyberspace - Hoover Institution
Civil Liberties and Security in Cyberspace - Hoover Institution
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<strong>Hoover</strong> Press : Cyber DP5 HPCYBE0500 06-11-:1 11:53:04 rev1 page 197<br />
<strong>Civil</strong> <strong>Liberties</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Security</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Cyberspace</strong><br />
197<br />
There are <strong>in</strong>herent dangers <strong>in</strong> a system for advanced monitor<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
search<strong>in</strong>g, track<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>and</strong> analyz<strong>in</strong>g of communications. Though it<br />
could be very helpful aga<strong>in</strong>st cyber crime <strong>and</strong> terrorism, it would also<br />
provide participat<strong>in</strong>g governments, especially authoritarian governments<br />
or agencies with little accountability, tools to violate civil liberties<br />
domestically <strong>and</strong> abroad. Correspondence of <strong>in</strong>nocent people<br />
could be <strong>in</strong>tercepted <strong>and</strong> people could be repressed as a result. Systems<br />
set up for <strong>in</strong>ternational polic<strong>in</strong>g of cyberspace could also be hacked or<br />
misused by an <strong>in</strong>sider to underm<strong>in</strong>e a participat<strong>in</strong>g government or to<br />
damage the <strong>in</strong>terests of a state. The technology <strong>and</strong> know-how, which<br />
will be developed <strong>and</strong> provided to less technologically advanced countries<br />
<strong>in</strong> the course of <strong>in</strong>ternational cooperation, could be used to enhance<br />
domestic surveillance <strong>and</strong> suppression by governments that disregard<br />
human rights.<br />
These threats exist now <strong>and</strong> they are likely to exp<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the future<br />
as advanced computer network<strong>in</strong>g becomes pervasive <strong>in</strong> public <strong>and</strong><br />
private lives <strong>and</strong> methods for <strong>in</strong>tercept<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> analyz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation<br />
become more sophisticated, widespread, <strong>and</strong> affordable. Integrat<strong>in</strong>g<br />
attributed personal data from different systems could make comprehensive,<br />
detailed profiles available for retrieval, manipulation, <strong>and</strong><br />
abuse. Abuses by the private sector may range from <strong>in</strong>undation with<br />
unsolicited targeted advertisements to various forms of covert discrim<strong>in</strong>ation,<br />
such as denial of employment on the basis of prior knowledge<br />
of health conditions, or denial of medical services on the basis of<br />
f<strong>in</strong>ancial debts. Such conglomerations of data would be vulnerable to<br />
the United States Congress by the American <strong>Civil</strong> <strong>Liberties</strong> Union, Center for Democracy<br />
<strong>and</strong> Technology, Eagle Forum, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Electronic Privacy<br />
Information Center, <strong>and</strong> Free Congress Foundation, January 7, 1999, available<br />
at http://www.aclu.org/congress/l060899a.html; “Lawsuit Seeks Memos on Surveillance<br />
of Americans; EPIC Launches Study of NSA Interception Activities,” Electronic<br />
Privacy Information Center Press Release, December 3, 1999, available at<br />
http://www.epic.org/open_gov/foia/nsa_suit_12_99.html; “French Prosecutor<br />
Starts Probe of U.S. Spy System,” Reuters, July 4, 2000, reported at http://<br />
news.excite.com/news/r/000704/08/news-france-usa-dc.